Lion’s Choice fans are known for their fierce loyalty, but this year, the St. Louis-based brand challenged them to prove something else: creativity. With over 500 sandwich submissions, the inaugural Sandwich Smackdown put fans in the culinary driver’s seat, offering the chance for one guest’s creation to earn a spot on the permanent menu. After more than 6,700 votes, a winner has been crowned. The Lion’s Choice El Cubano is a crave-worthy creation born from community passion and in-house ingenuity, loaded with roast beef, ham, Swiss cheese, spicy mustard and pickles, all tucked into French bread.
At the heart of the campaign was Lion’s Choice’s Director of Marketing, Tina Bryan, who spearheaded the effort to deepen customer engagement and highlight the brand’s unique customization offerings. “We listen,” Bryan emphasized. “We understand that our OG, our original sandwich, is sacred and isn’t going anywhere. But we also know people want opportunities to try different things. This campaign was a way to let them co-create with us.”
What made the Smackdown such a hit? Lion’s Choice’s commitment to customization at every level, from bread choice to cheese to the ever-popular sauce bar. Bryan personally reviewed all 500+ submissions, which ranged from classic comfort combos to creative experiments. “What we learned is that our fans’ tastes run from A to Z,” she said with a laugh. “But the El Cubano really stood out.”
The bracket-style contest narrowed the field to 16 semi-finalists, mimicking March Madness and sparking enthusiasm across social media. “We saw so much excitement, not just from our team but from fans rallying their coworkers, friends and families to vote. It created this ripple effect of joy and participation,” Bryan recalled.
In the end, it was Ben Hamlin, executive chef at the Renaissance St. Louis Airport Hotel, who claimed the top spot. “I’ve always been a lifelong fan of Lion’s Choice,“ he shared, recalling childhood visits to the original Lion’s Choice location in Ballwin, Missouri. When he spotted the contest on social media, he knew he had to jump in. “I thought it was a really cool idea,” Hamlin explained. “Being a chef, I was naturally drawn to the idea of creating my own sandwich for their menu.”
For Hamlin, winning was just the cherry on top. The real fun was rallying friends, family and coworkers to push El Cubano through the brackets, refreshing the voting page like it was game day. The tasting event was the highlight, “I’ve created plenty of sandwiches over the years,” he reflected, “But this is by far the one I’m most proud of. It’s one of those things that reminds you what you love about a brand and why you love it.”
Every submission came straight from the Lion’s Choice playbook – no secret ingredients, just clever combos using what was already on the menu. The result? A sandwich that feels right at home. According to Bryan, the fact that the winning sandwich was built entirely from ingredients already on the menu felt like a perfect fit: “We knew it would stay true to our identity, because our guests could already build it on their own – we just gave it a name and brought it to the forefront.”
The Lion’s Choice El Cubano now joins the Remix and Triple Dare on Lion’s Choice’s premium menu, with the intent to keep it long-term, pending customer response. But beyond sandwich sales, Bryan says the campaign’s true success lies in what it stirred in the community. “This was our first time crowdsourcing a sandwich with our social media audience,” she said. “It expanded our profile, grew our loyalty program and reminded us just how much love people have for this brand.”
And if you’re already plotting your flavor takeover for next year, join the rewards program – you’ll rack up points with every bite and be first in line when the next Smackdown bell rings.
This article appears in May 2025.